10 memorable photos of 2017

Tag: Northern Lights

I thought I’d end the year with a selection of memorable photos over the last twelve months. It’s great to look back on the year and remind yourself of the events and places that have stood out. While my blogging year ended very quietly – more about this in a future post – I’m actually surprised at the variety of things I’ve got up … Read More 10 memorable photos of 2017

Like a piece of music that slowly builds to an exciting crescendo, the first three movements of last night’s auroral symphony started boldly and with a real purpose before exploding into a riotous final movement. This was quite possibly the strongest, most active aurora I’ve seen in Scotland. As I reached one of my regular spots for aurora hunting just after 8pm … Read More The “merry dancers”

Last weekend was a good weekend for viewing the aurora. In fact, the lights showed up both on Friday and Saturday nights when Scotland was enjoying a rare period of high pressure with limited cloud cover. But the most remarkable thing about last weekend’s showing of the northern lights was that for the first time in my aurora-chasing experience, the lights on Saturday night … Read More The northern lights … also available in purple

Last night the aurora came back for a brief visit. The light show was slow to get going but for a brief five minutes the sky lit up and sent purple and green pillars reaching high up towards the stars. Charged particles from a coronal hole were forecast to reach the Earth yesterday and sure enough, once it got dark (around 9pm now that … Read More Hello aurora!

Chances of an aurora were good on the 1st March when a coronal hole was forecast to emit a fast stream of charged particles towards the Earth. And sure enough it didn’t disappoint, giving sightings across Scotland and northern England. This turned out to be the only amber level warning issued by Aurorawatch UK in the first two months of 2017. And unfortunately this … Read More My first sighting of the aurora in 2017

If you have an interest in aurora watching you may have heard that we’re entering solar minimum: but what does this mean ? The sun doesn’t provide a constant stream of energy but exhibits phases of higher and lower intensity. It tends to operate on an 11-year cycle and it is this cycle which has a significant bearing on the chances of seeing an … Read More We’re entering solar minimum

May I wish you a very Happy New Year ! I hope you had a good break of Christmas and are now looking forward to the next twelve months. In common with a lot of people I like to use this time to plan ahead, setting myself some goals to inspire and motivate me throughout the year. It’s partly about keeping fit but … Read More Adventures planned for 2017

Looking back at my photos from this year serves as a great reminder of some fantastic trips over the last twelve months. Let me share a dozen of my most memorable shots: not the best photos necessarily, but the ones that evoke the many outdoor experiences I’ve enjoyed. From hiking, skiing, cycling and camping I’ve loved exploring some favourite parts of Scotland, as well … Read More Most memorable photos of 2016

A smartphone is an essential item of kit these days when you’re out for an adventure. Enabled by a huge number of apps your phone is not only a camera, GPS, notebook, torch, musicplayer … but can also give you a map, weather forecast, emergency beacon, guide to nature and so much more. I’ve selected ten essential apps for the outdoors, a guide to … Read More Top 10 essential apps for the Outdoors

We were treated to an unusually strong showing of the northern lights this week as a high speed solar wind reached the Earth’s geomagnetic field. Reaching Kp 7, it was so strong that the aurora was visible across the UK and as far south as the Netherlands and Germany. Luckily for us it also all kicked off just after dark when skies were … Read More Colourful northern lights, 6th March

Firstly, may I wish you all a very Happy New Year ! I hope you’ve had a relaxing break over Christmas; a chance to look back over the year just gone and recharge the batteries. If, like me, you love to make plans then you’ll also be using this time to think about new year resolutions, bucket lists yet to complete and new hobbies … Read More My plans for 2016

Wednesday evening’s showing of the northern lights turned out to be one of the most impressive I’ve seen, being seen across Scotland, northern England and Wales. I hadn’t realised quite how strong the aurora might be. I’d just watched the Bake Off final on TV (required family viewing in our household) before I checked the Solar Monitor app on my phone and looked out … Read More Dancing lights over Scotland